Ronan ended up leaving the church halfway through the ceremony.
For nearly an hour he sat quietly among the congregation, listening to prayers, hymns, and passages from the Book of Yania.
Unfortunately, faith was not his strongest feeling nor was it for Percy.
The moment it felt socially acceptable to leave, he slipped out through one of the side exits.
"Sorry, GoddessesI'll try again some other time."
Whether he actually would was another matter but he felt like he might someday .
He made his way back toward the residential district, he remembered his toothpaste problem. After stopping at a few small shops, Ronan picked up what he needed.
A small pouch of finely ground charcoal which he bought very little of since he still had some left from making last time . A packet of baking powder for household use. A handful of dried mint leaves for freshness. And a little coarse salt.
Simple ingredients and cheap which was exactly why Percy had preferred making his own. Store-bought toothpaste cost significantly more.
Ronan reluctantly handed over his coins.
When the purchases were done, he found himself staring into his pouch.
He was now poorer than yesterday as he stood there with a measly amount of 2 copper crowns in his pouch.
His finances had somehow become even more depressing.
"I attended church and became poorer."
For a brief moment, he wondered whether the goddesses had taken offense at him leaving halfway through.
Then he shook the thought away since ingredients weren't expensive. His wallet was just pathetic, if he had bought directly from the store he would be without any coins in his pouch .
He stuffed the small paper-wrapped packages into his coat pocket and kept walking.
The streets had grown livelier now that services were ending. People moved between bakeries, cafés, and market stalls. The smell of fresh bread drifted through the air.
His stomach now has started to feel empty but buying lunch was not an option. Not unless he wanted to spend the next few days surviving on hope and prayer .
And judging by today's church experience, he wasn't particularly good at the second one either.
With that sobering thought, Ronan headed home to make his toothpaste .
-----------
Back home, Ronan carried the ingredients into the kitchen and set them on the table.
The ingredients didn't look like much. But according to Harris, they were enough to keep teeth clean and breath reasonably fresh and it indeed was effective as he had made and tested it a few times before already.
Ronan took out a mortar and pestle. The mint leaves went in first.
*Crunch. Crunch.*
He ground them slowly until they became fine green flakes. The scent rose into the air at once . This wasn't really necessary for an effective toothpaste but really helped with the scent. Which was much better than charcoal alone.
He added a small amount of coarse salt next and crushed it down until the grains turned finer. Then came the charcoal.
The black powder mixed into the mint and salt, turning everything dark gray.
Finally, the baking powder. According to Harris, it helped lift stains and kept the mixture from feeling too rough on the teeth.
Ronan spent several minutes working it all together. When he finished, the powder looked fairly uniform dark gray with small green specks scattered through.
He dipped a finger in and cautiously tasted it and Immediately regretted it.
"Blech tastes bad everytime"
It tasted like mint-flavored dirt. Still that was normal well according to Harris that is .
He set out a small glass container given to him by Harris , poured the powder in, and sealed it shut.
The result wasn't impressive. But one batch would easily last him weeks. Considering his finances, that alone made it worth it. Ronan held up the container and nodded with satisfaction.
*Should I sleep early today?*
Ronan sat in his chair, considering the question. His stomach was hungry. Not enough to keep him awake, but enough that it would only get worse if he stayed up another few hours. Sleeping was free but eating wasn't.
With that piece of financial wisdom in mind, Ronan stood and headed upstairs.
He had barely reached the middle of the staircase when a series of knocks echoed through the house.
*Knock. Knock. Knock.*
Ronan stopped and turned around, came back down the stairs opening the door.
The moment he did, his eyes brightened with hope. Not because of who stood outside though Mrs. Callyst was pleasant company.
His attention had locked onto the steel container in her hands. A container large enough to hold something with Potentially being a lot of food.
He pulled his gaze away before she could notice.
"Good Sunday, Mrs. Callyst."
The old woman smiled.
"Good Sunday to you too, Percy."
Sunday greetings were common among the more religious townsfolk. Though Ronan suspected Mrs. Callyst would use them even if the goddesses themselves vanished tomorrow.
"What can I help you with?" he asked politely with the most innocent smile he could muster up .
Meanwhile, part of him was already estimating the volume of the container.
Mrs. Callyst lifted it slightly. "Oh, just some stew leftovers."
Ronan became more attentive looking at it .
"My friends and I had a small gathering. Us old folks couldn't finish everything ourselves."
"Oh? Is that so?"
His hands had already accepted the container. Smoothly and naturally without any shame or hesitation.
"But shouldn't you keep it for tomorrow?" he asked.
Mrs. Callyst rolled her eyes." It'll spoil by tomorrow."
A reasonable argument. One Ronan wholeheartedly supported.
His grip on the container tightened just a little.
"Well, thank you, Mrs. Callyst. I appreciate your thoughtfulness."
The old woman looked at him for a moment.
Then chuckled. "Oh my."
"What?" Percy frowned fearing she found him desperate.
"You're unusually enthusiastic today."
Was i been too obvious?*
"I always am and I'm still young too ".
Mrs. Callyst's eyes drifted toward the container, currently being guarded like a national treasure.
The corner of her mouth twitched.
"I see"
she mumbled silently before she finally turned and head back toward her own home.
Ronan watched her go, then immediately shut the door.
He looked down at the container a few seconds later, the lid was now opened with force .
The smell of meat and vegetables hit him at once rich, warm, real.
Today, the Goddesses had answered his prayers through Mrs. Callyst.
Being religious doesn't sound so bad if im delivered food like this .